Electronic device for supporting positioning communication

ABSTRACT

Example embodiments include an electronic device and a method for operating an electronic device. The electronic device includes an ultra-wide band (UWB) antenna including directional antennas disposed on a rear surface of the electronic device and at least one omnidirectional antenna. The electronic device further includes a communication circuit configured to transmit and/or receive radio frequency (RF) signals of a frequency band designated to be used for UWB communication, through the UWB antenna, with an external electronic device. The electronic device further includes a processor configured to calculate a first distance value and a second distance value, and to determine, based on a distance difference between the first distance value and the second distance value, whether the external electronic device exists within a field of view (FoV) indicating a specified angular range with respect to the direction to which the rear surface faces.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation Application of InternationalApplication PCT/KR2022/003107 filed on Mar. 4, 2022, which claimsbenefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0055158,filed on Apr. 28, 2021, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entireties byreference.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a positioningtechnology using ultra-wide band (UWB) communication.

2. Description of the Related Art

An electronic device may transmit and receive messages to and from anexternal electronic device through a UWB antenna and measure an angle ofarrival (AoA) and a distance between the external electronic device andthe electronic device using the messages. Using the measured AoA anddistance, the electronic device can find the position of the externalelectronic device. The AoA can be defined as an angle at which a radiofrequency (RF) signal is incident on the UWB antenna of the electronicdevice when the electronic device receives the RF signal from theexternal electronic device. The electronic device may display, on adisplay, a captured image acquired by a camera to contain informationindicating the position of the external electronic device.

When the external electronic device performing UWB communication withthe electronic device exists within a field of view (FoV), there may bea high probability that the RF signal transmitted from the externalelectronic device arrives at the electronic device through a directpath. For example, if the display is disposed on a first surface (e.g.,a front surface) of the electronic device and the UWB antenna isdisposed on a second surface (e.g., a rear surface) opposite to thefirst surface, the FoV may be set to a specified angular range (e.g.,about −60 degrees to +60 degrees) with respect to a direction to whichthe second surface faces. A communication environment in which the RFsignal can directly arrive at the electronic device may be referred toas a line-of-sight (LoS) situation. In such an example, the position ofthe external electronic device measured using the distance and AoAobtained in the LoS situation may be accurate.

When the external electronic device exists outside the FoV, theprobability that the RF signal directly arrives at the electronic deviceis relatively low, and the probability that the RF signal arrives at theelectronic device via a multi-path due to reflection from an object(e.g., a metal object) may be relatively high. A communicationenvironment in which the RF signal does not directly arrive at theelectronic device but arrives at the electronic device after beingreflected by a metal object may be referred to as a non-line-of-sight(NLoS) situation.

The electronic device may determine whether the external electronicdevice exists within the FoV, based on the AoA information. However, inthe NLoS situation, the determination may be inaccurate only with theAoA information. For example, a phenomenon (e.g., a false positive (FP)phenomenon) in which the external electronic device is erroneouslydetermined to exist within the FoV even though the external electronicdevice actually exists outside the FoV may occur in the NLoS situation.As a result, an error of informing the user about an incorrect positionmay occur.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the disclosure may provide an electronic deviceconfigured to determine whether an external electronic device performingpositioning communication with the electronic device exists within theFoV.

The technical problems to be solved in the present disclosure are notlimited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and those of ordinaryskill in the art to which the disclosure pertains will clearlyunderstand, from the following description, other technical problems notmentioned herein.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device may include adisplay disposed on a front surface of the electronic device, anultra-wide band (UWB) antenna including directional antennas disposed ona rear surface opposite to the front surface and forming a radiationpattern in a direction to which the rear surface faces, and at least oneomnidirectional antenna forming an omnidirectional radiation patterncompared to the directional antennas, a processor, a communicationcircuit configured to convert a message to be transmitted to an externalelectronic device received from the processor into a radio frequency(RF) signal of a frequency band designated to be used for UWBcommunication, and output the RF signal to the UWB antenna, andconfigured to convert an RF signal received from the external electronicdevice through the UWB antenna into a message, and output the message tothe processor, and a memory operatively connected to the processor. Thememory may store instructions that cause, when executed, the processorto calculate a first distance value, based on a first time at which afirst message is received from the external electronic device throughthe UWB antenna, a second time at which a second message is transmittedto the external electronic device through the UWB antenna, a third timeat which a third message is received from the external electronic devicethrough at least one of the directional antennas of the UWB antenna, andtime information received from the external electronic device throughthe UWB antenna, to calculate a second distance value, based on thefirst time, the second time, a fourth time at which the third message isreceived from the external electronic device through the at least oneomnidirectional antenna of the UWB antenna, and the time information,and to, based on a distance difference between the first distance valueand the second distance value, determine whether the external electronicdevice exists within a field of view (FoV) indicating a specifiedangular range with respect to the direction to which the rear surfacefaces.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device may include adisplay disposed on a front surface of the electronic device, anultra-wide band (UWB) antenna including directional antennas disposed ona rear surface opposite to the front surface and forming a radiationpattern in a direction to which the rear surface faces, and at least oneomnidirectional antenna forming an omnidirectional radiation patterncompared to the directional antennas, a processor, a communicationcircuit configured to convert a message to be transmitted to an externalelectronic device received from the processor into a radio frequency(RF) signal of a frequency band designated to be used for UWBcommunication, and output the RF signal to the UWB antenna, andconfigured to convert an RF signal received from the external electronicdevice through the UWB antenna into a message, and output the message tothe processor, and a memory operatively connected to the processor. Thememory may store instructions that cause, when executed, the processorto calculate a first distance value, based on a first time at which afirst message is transmitted to the external electronic device throughthe UWB antenna, a second time at which a second message is receivedfrom the external electronic device through at least one of thedirectional antennas of the UWB antenna, and time information receivedfrom the external electronic device through the UWB antenna, tocalculate a second distance value, based on the first time, a third timeat which the second message is received from the external electronicdevice through the at least one omnidirectional antenna of the UWBantenna, and the time information, and to, based on a distancedifference between the first distance value and the second distancevalue, determine whether the external electronic device exists within afield of view (FoV) indicating a specified angular range with respect tothe direction to which the rear surface faces.

According to various embodiments, a method for operating an electronicdevice having an ultra-wide band (UWB) antenna including directionalantennas and at least one omnidirectional antenna forming anomnidirectional radiation pattern compared to the directional antennasmay include calculating a first distance value, based on a first time atwhich a first message is received from an external electronic devicethrough the UWB antenna, a second time at which a second message istransmitted to the external electronic device through the UWB antenna, athird time at which a third message is received from the externalelectronic device through at least one of the directional antennas ofthe UWB antenna, and time information received from the externalelectronic device through the UWB antenna; calculating a second distancevalue, based on the first time, the second time, a fourth time at whichthe third message is received from the external electronic devicethrough the at least one omnidirectional antenna of the UWB antenna, andthe time information; and based on a distance difference between thefirst distance value and the second distance value, determining whetherthe external electronic device exists within a field of view (FoV)indicating a specified angular range with respect to a direction towhich one surface of the electronic device, on which the directionalantennas are disposed, faces.

According to various embodiments, a method for operating an electronicdevice having an ultra-wide band (UWB) antenna including directionalantennas and at least one omnidirectional antenna forming anomnidirectional radiation pattern compared to the directional antennasmay include calculating a first distance value, based on a first time atwhich a first message is transmitted to an external electronic devicethrough the UWB antenna, a second time at which a second message isreceived from the external electronic device through at least one of thedirectional antennas of the UWB antenna, and time information receivedfrom the external electronic device through the UWB antenna; calculatinga second distance value, based on the first time, a third time at whichthe second message is received from the external electronic devicethrough the at least one omnidirectional antenna of the UWB antenna, andthe time information; and based on a distance difference between thefirst distance value and the second distance value, determining whetherthe external electronic device exists within a field of view (FoV)indicating a specified angular range with respect to a direction towhich one surface of the electronic device, on which the directionalantennas are disposed, faces.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device can accuratelyAccording to various aspects of the disclosure, an electronic device candetermine whether an external electronic device performing positioningcommunication with the electronic device exists within the FoV. Inaddition, various effects explicitly or implicitly appreciated throughthe disclosure may be provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a networkenvironment, according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless communication moduleand an antenna module of an electronic device, according to variousembodiments of the disclosure.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating the arrangement of anultra-wide band (UWB) antenna in a mobile electronic device having abar-type housing structure, according to various embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device configuredto determine whether an external electronic device exists within a fieldof view (FoV), according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5A is a conceptual diagram illustrating a FoV that is set based ona rear surface of an electronic device as shown in FIG. 4, according tovarious embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a method of measuring an angle ofarrival (AoA) using directional antennas disposed on a rear surface ofan electronic device, according to various embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates operations of a processor using double side (DS)-twoway ranging (TWR), according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates first operations of a processor using a single side(SS)-TWR, according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates second operations of a processor using SS-TWR,according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates first operations of a processor, according to variousembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates second operations of a processor, according tovarious embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a test result in an non-line-of-sight(NLoS) situation, according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101 in anetwork environment 100 according to various embodiments. Referring toFIG. 1, the electronic device 101 in the network environment 100 maycommunicate with an electronic device 102 via a first network 198 (e.g.,a short-range wireless communication network), or at least one of anelectronic device 104 or a server 108 via a second network 199 (e.g., along-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment,the electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104via the server 108. According to an embodiment, the electronic device101 may include a processor 120, memory 130, an input module 150, asound output module 155, a display module 160, an audio module 170, asensor module 176, an interface 177, a connecting terminal 178, a hapticmodule 179, a camera module 180, a power management module 188, abattery 189, a communication module 190, a subscriber identificationmodule (SIM) 196, or an antenna module 197. In some embodiments, atleast one of the components (e.g., the connecting terminal 178) may beomitted from the electronic device 101, or one or more other componentsmay be added in the electronic device 101. In some embodiments, some ofthe components (e.g., the sensor module 176, the camera module 180, orthe antenna module 197) may be implemented as a single component (e.g.,the display module 160).

The processor 120 may execute, for example, software (e.g., a program140) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware orsoftware component) of the electronic device 101 coupled with theprocessor 120, and may perform various data processing or computation.According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing orcomputation, the processor 120 may store a command or data received fromanother component (e.g., the sensor module 176 or the communicationmodule 190) in volatile memory 132, process the command or the datastored in the volatile memory 132, and store resulting data innon-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)or an application processor (AP)), or an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g.,a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), animage signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communicationprocessor (CP)) that is operable independently from, or in conjunctionwith, the main processor 121. For example, when the electronic device101 includes the main processor 121 and the auxiliary processor 123, theauxiliary processor 123 may be adapted to consume less power than themain processor 121, or to be specific to a specified function. Theauxiliary processor 123 may be implemented as separate from, or as partof the main processor 121.

The auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of functions orstates related to at least one component (e.g., the display module 160,the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) among thecomponents of the electronic device 101, instead of the main processor121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state,or together with the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 isin an active state (e.g., executing an application). According to anembodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processoror a communication processor) may be implemented as part of anothercomponent (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190)functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123. According to anembodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., the neural processingunit) may include a hardware structure specified for artificialintelligence model processing. An artificial intelligence model may begenerated by machine learning. Such learning may be performed, e.g., bythe electronic device 101 where the artificial intelligence is performedor via a separate server (e.g., the server 108). Learning algorithms mayinclude, but are not limited to, e.g., supervised learning, unsupervisedlearning, semi- supervised learning, or reinforcement learning. Theartificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificialneural network layers. The artificial neural network may be a deepneural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrentneural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deepbelief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network(BRDNN), deep Q-network or a combination of two or more thereof but isnot limited thereto. The artificial intelligence model may, additionallyor alternatively, include a software structure other than the hardwarestructure.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component(e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176) of the electronicdevice 101. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g.,the program 140) and input data or output data for a command relatedthereto. The memory 130 may include the volatile memory 132 or thenon-volatile memory 134.

The program 140 may be stored in the memory 130 as software, and mayinclude, for example, an operating system (OS) 142, middleware 144, oran application 146.

The input module 150 may receive a command or data to be used by anothercomponent (e.g., the processor 120) of the electronic device 101, fromthe outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The inputmodule 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard,a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

The sound output module 155 may output sound signals to the outside ofthe electronic device 101. The sound output module 155 may include, forexample, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for generalpurposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record. The receiver maybe used for receiving incoming calls. According to an embodiment, thereceiver may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

The display module 160 may visually provide information to the outside(e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The display module 160 mayinclude, for example, a display, a hologram device, or a projector andcontrol circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display,hologram device, and projector. According to an embodiment, the displaymodule 160 may include a touch sensor adapted to detect a touch, or apressure sensor adapted to measure the intensity of force incurred bythe touch.

The audio module 170 may convert a sound into an electrical signal andvice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtainthe sound via the input module 150, or output the sound via the soundoutput module 155 or a headphone of an external electronic device (e.g.,an electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly coupledwith the electronic device 101.

The sensor module 176 may detect an operational state (e.g., power ortemperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state(e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 101, andthen generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to thedetected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 mayinclude, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmosphericpressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gripsensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, abiometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or anilluminance sensor.

The interface 177 may support one or more specified protocols to be usedfor the electronic device 101 to be coupled with the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wired) orwirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include,for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universalserial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or anaudio interface.

A connecting terminal 178 may include a connector via which theelectronic device 101 may be physically connected with the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to anembodiment, the connecting terminal 178 may include, for example, a HDMIconnector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector(e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module 179 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanicalstimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electrical stimulus whichmay be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation or kinestheticsensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 mayinclude, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electricstimulator.

The camera module 180 may capture a still image or moving images.According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one ormore lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to theelectronic device 101. According to one embodiment, the power managementmodule 188 may be implemented as at least part of, for example, a powermanagement integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 mayinclude, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, asecondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g.,wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel betweenthe electronic device 101 and the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108) andperforming communication via the established communication channel. Thecommunication module 190 may include one or more communicationprocessors that are operable independently from the processor 120 (e.g.,the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g., wired)communication or a wireless communication. According to an embodiment,the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wirelesscommunication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a localarea network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication(PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules maycommunicate with the external electronic device via the first network198 (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™,wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA))or the second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network,such as a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generationcommunication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., LAN orwide area network (WAN)). These various types of communication modulesmay be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip), or maybe implemented as multi components (e.g., multi chips) separate fromeach other. The wireless communication module 192 may identify andauthenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network, suchas the first network 198 or the second network 199, using subscriberinformation (e.g., international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI))stored in the subscriber identification module 196.

The wireless communication module 192 may support a 5G network, after a4G network, and next-generation communication technology, e.g., newradio (NR) access technology. The NR access technology may supportenhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications(mMTC), or ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC). Thewireless communication module 192 may support a high-frequency band(e.g., the mmWave band) to achieve, e.g., a high data transmission rate.The wireless communication module 192 may support various technologiesfor securing performance on a high-frequency band, such as, e.g.,beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (massive MIMO),full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, orlarge scale antenna. The wireless communication module 192 may supportvarious requirements specified in the electronic device 101, an externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 104), or a network system(e.g., the second network 199). According to an embodiment, the wirelesscommunication module 192 may support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps ormore) for implementing eMBB, loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) forimplementing mMTC, or U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for each ofdownlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or a round trip of 1 ms or less) forimplementing URLLC.

The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to orfrom the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of theelectronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the antenna module197 may include an antenna including a radiating element composed of aconductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate(e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)). According to an embodiment, theantenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., arrayantennas). In such a case, at least one antenna appropriate for acommunication scheme used in the communication network, such as thefirst network 198 or the second network 199, may be selected, forexample, by the communication module 190 (e.g., the wirelesscommunication module 192) from the plurality of antennas. The signal orthe power may then be transmitted or received between the communicationmodule 190 and the external electronic device via the selected at leastone antenna. According to an embodiment, another component (e.g., aradio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other than the radiatingelement may be additionally formed as part of the antenna module 197.

According to various embodiments, the antenna module 197 may form ammWave antenna module. According to an embodiment, the mmWave antennamodule may include a printed circuit board, a RFIC disposed on a firstsurface (e.g., the bottom surface) of the printed circuit board, oradjacent to the first surface and capable of supporting a designatedhigh-frequency band (e.g., the mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas(e.g., array antennas) disposed on a second surface (e.g., the top or aside surface) of the printed circuit board, or adjacent to the secondsurface and capable of transmitting or receiving signals of thedesignated high-frequency band.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutuallyand communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via aninter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purposeinput and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobileindustry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted orreceived between the electronic device 101 and the external electronicdevice 104 via the server 108 coupled with the second network 199. Eachof the electronic devices 102 or 104 may be a device of a same type as,or a different type, from the electronic device 101. According to anembodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at the electronicdevice 101 may be executed at one or more of the external electronicdevices 102, 104, or 108. For example, if the electronic device 101should perform a function or a service automatically, or in response toa request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101,instead of, or in addition to, executing the function or the service,may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform atleast part of the function or the service. The one or more externalelectronic devices receiving the request may perform the at least partof the function or the service requested, or an additional function oran additional service related to the request, and transfer an outcome ofthe performing to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101may provide the outcome, with or without further processing of theoutcome, as at least part of a reply to the request. To that end, acloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), orclient-server computing technology may be used, for example. Theelectronic device 101 may provide ultra low-latency services using,e.g., distributed computing or mobile edge computing. In anotherembodiment, the external electronic device 104 may include aninternet-of-things (IoT) device. The server 108 may be an intelligentserver using machine learning and/or a neural network. According to anembodiment, the external electronic device 104 or the server 108 may beincluded in the second network 199. The electronic device 101 may beapplied to intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smartcar, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology or IoT-relatedtechnology.

The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one ofvarious types of electronic devices. The electronic devices may include,for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), acomputer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medicaldevice, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance. According toan embodiment of the disclosure, the electronic devices are not limitedto those described above.

It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the presentdisclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit thetechnological features set forth herein to particular embodiments andinclude various changes, equivalents, or replacements for acorresponding embodiment. With regard to the description of thedrawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar orrelated elements. It is to be understood that a singular form of a nouncorresponding to an item may include one or more of the things, unlessthe relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, eachof such phrases as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one ofA or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least oneof A, B, or C,” may include any one of, or all possible combinations ofthe items enumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases. Asused herein, such terms as “1st” and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” maybe used to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another,and does not limit the components in other aspect (e.g., importance ororder). It is to be understood that if an element (e.g., a firstelement) is referred to, with or without the term “operatively” or“communicatively”, as “coupled with,” “coupled to,” “connected with,” or“connected to” another element (e.g., a second element), it means thatthe element may be coupled with the other element directly (e.g.,wiredly), wirelessly, or via a third element.

As used in connection with various embodiments of the disclosure, theterm “module” may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, orfirmware, and may interchangeably be used with other terms, for example,“logic,” “logic block,” “part,” or “circuitry”. A module may be a singleintegral component, or a minimum unit or part thereof, adapted toperform one or more functions. For example, according to an embodiment,the module may be implemented in a form of an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software(e.g., the program 140) including one or more instructions that arestored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory138) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device 101).For example, a processor (e.g., the processor 120) of the machine (e.g.,the electronic device 101) may invoke at least one of the one or moreinstructions stored in the storage medium, and execute it, with orwithout using one or more other components under the control of theprocessor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at leastone function according to the at least one instruction invoked. The oneor more instructions may include a code generated by a complier or acode executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage mediummay be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Wherein,the term “non-transitory” simply means that the storage medium is atangible device, and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagneticwave), but this term does not differentiate between where data issemi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data istemporarily stored in the storage medium.

According to an embodiment, a method according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure may be included and provided in a computer programproduct. The computer program product may be traded as a product betweena seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed inthe form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc readonly memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded)online via an application store (e.g., PlayStore™), or between two userdevices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at leastpart of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or atleast temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such asmemory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store,or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or aprogram) of the above-described components may include a single entityor multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may beseparately disposed in different components. According to variousembodiments, one or more of the above-described components may beomitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively oradditionally, a plurality of components (e.g., modules or programs) maybe integrated into a single component. In such a case, according tovarious embodiments, the integrated component may still perform one ormore functions of each of the plurality of components in the same orsimilar manner as they are performed by a corresponding one of theplurality of components before the integration. According to variousembodiments, operations performed by the module, the program, or anothercomponent may be carried out sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, orheuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in adifferent order or omitted, or one or more other operations may beadded.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless communication module192 and an antenna module 197 of an electronic device 101 according tovarious embodiments of the disclosure. With reference to FIG. 2, thewireless communication module 192 may include a Bluetooth communicationcircuit 210 and an ultra-wide band (UWB) communication circuit 220. Theantenna module 197 may include a Bluetooth antenna 250 connected to theBluetooth communication circuit 210 and a UWB antenna 260 connected tothe UWB communication circuit 220. At least one function of theBluetooth communication circuit 210 and the UWB communication circuit220 may be controlled by the processor 120 (e.g., an applicationprocessor and/or a communication processor).

The Bluetooth communication circuit 210 may support the establishment ofa Bluetooth communication channel (or session) corresponding to afrequency band designated to be used for Bluetooth (e.g., Bluetooth lowenergy (BLE)) communication among bands to be used for wirelesscommunication with an external electronic device (e.g., the externalelectronic device 102 in FIG. 1). The Bluetooth communication circuit210 may support the Bluetooth communication with the external electronicdevice through the Bluetooth communication channel. In case oftransmission, the Bluetooth communication circuit 210 may convert abaseband signal, generated by the processor 120 (e.g., an applicationprocessor and/or a communication processor) and received from theprocessor 120, into a radio frequency (RF) signal of the Bluetooth bandand then transmit the RF signal to the outside through the Bluetoothantenna 250. In case of reception, the Bluetooth communication circuit210 may acquire an RF signal of the Bluetooth band (e.g., about 2.4 GHz)through the Bluetooth antenna 250, convert the acquired RF signal into asignal of baseband (e.g., several MHz or less), and then transmit thebaseband signal to the processor 120.

The UWB communication circuit 220 may support the establishment of a UWBcommunication channel (or session) corresponding to a frequency band(e.g., about 3.1 to 10.6 GHz) designated to be used for UWBcommunication among bands to be used for wireless communication with theexternal electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 102 inFIG. 1). The UWB communication circuit 220 may support the UWBcommunication with the external electronic device through the UWBcommunication channel. In case of transmission, the UWB communicationcircuit 220 may convert a baseband signal, generated by the processor120 (e.g., an application processor and/or a communication processor)and received from the processor 120, into an RF signal of the UWB bandand then transmit the RF signal to the outside through the UWB antenna260. In case of reception, the UWB communication circuit 220 may acquirean RF signal of the UWB band through the UWB antenna 260, convert theacquired RF signal into a baseband signal, and then transmit thebaseband signal to the processor 120. The wireless communication module192 may further include a filter (e.g., a UWB band pass filter)(notshown) to selectively pass an RF signal of the UWB band in an RF signalreceived from the UWB antenna 260 and deliver the RF signal to the UWBcommunication circuit 220. Alternatively or additionally, the UWBantenna 260 may include a plurality of antennas. For example, the UWBantenna 260 may include a first antenna for transmitting/receiving an RFsignal, a second antenna and/or a third antenna dedicated to receivingan RF signal.

According to various embodiments, Bluetooth communications may be usedas a trigger for activating the UWB communication. For example, BLE maybe used as a trigger to activate positioning communication as BLE mayhave a lower positioning accuracy than other short-distancecommunication technologies (e.g., UWB). However, BLE may consume lesspower and/or have a longer recognition distance (e.g., a distance atwhich the existence of the external electronic device 102 can berecognized) when compared to the other short-distance communicationtechnologies. In some embodiments, the processor 120 may receive asignal (e.g., an advertising or broadcasting packet) for connection withthe external electronic device 102 from the external electronic device102 through the Bluetooth communication circuit 210. For example, theexternal electronic device 102, as an advertiser (or a broadcaster), maytransmit a signal, and the electronic device 101, as an observer, mayperiodically scan the signal. The processor 120 may determine toactivate the positioning communication using UWB when the receivedsignal strength (e.g., received signal strength indicator (RSSI)) isgreater than a predetermined threshold and/or when the received signalstrength is getting stronger. Upon this determination, the processor 120may establish the UWB communication channel (e.g., channel 5 (about 6.25to 6.75 GHz), channel 9 (about 7.75 to 8.25 GHz)) with the externalelectronic device 102 using the UWB communication circuit 220. Forexample, when the UWB communication circuit 220 is in a disabled state(e.g., a sleep state or a power-off state), the processor 120 may switchthe state of the UWB communication circuit 220 to an enabled state,based on the above determination, and establish the UWB communicationchannel with the external electronic device 102 using the UWBcommunication circuit 220. Then the processor 120 may perform thepositioning communication with the external electronic device 102through the established UWB communication channel. In other embodiments,the processor 120 may establish the BLE communication channel with theexternal electronic device 102 using the Bluetooth communication circuit210. The processor 120 may determine to activate the positioningcommunication using UWB, based on the strength of the signal receivedfrom the external electronic device 102 through the established BLEcommunication channel (e.g., when the strength is greater than apredetermined threshold and/or when the signal strength is gettingstronger). Upon this determination, the processor 120 may establish theUWB communication channel with the external electronic device 102 usingthe UWB communication circuit 220 and perform the positioningcommunication with the external electronic device 102 through theestablished UWB communication channel. In some embodiments, acommunication technology (e.g., Wi-Fi) other than Bluetooth may also beused as a trigger for activating the positioning communication.

Various housing structures may be applied to the electronic device 101.For example, the electronic device 101 may have a bar-type housingstructure. The bar-type housing structure may include a plate formingthe front surface of the electronic device 101, a plate forming the rearsurface of the electronic device 101, and a bezel structure forming aside surface surrounding a space between the front and rear surfaces. Adisplay may be disposed on the front surface. In another example, theelectronic device 101 may have a foldable housing structure that isdivided into two housings about a folding axis. A first display area ofa display (e.g., a flexible display) may be disposed in the firsthousing, and a second display area of the display may be disposed in thesecond housing. The foldable housing structure may be implemented as anin-folding type in which the first and second display areas face eachother when the electronic device 101 is in a folded state. Alternativelyor additionally, the foldable housing structure may be implemented as anout-folding type in which the first and second display areas faceopposite directions when the electronic device 101 is in a folded state.In yet another example, the electronic device 101 may have a slidable(and/or rollable) housing structure. In such an example, the electronicdevice 101 may include a slidable housing structure having first andsecond housings, a roller (or a slider) for allowing a part of thesecond housing to be retracted into or drawn out from the first housing,and a flexible display. The display may be disposed in a space formed bythe slidable housing structure. The display may include a first displayarea disposed adjacent to the first housing, and a second display areadisposed in the inner space while surrounding the roller. Hereinafter, asurface on which the display is disposed (e.g., a surface on which thedisplay area is visually exposed) may be referred to as the frontsurface of the electronic device. Alternatively or additionally, asurface opposite to the front surface may be referred to as the rearsurface of the electronic device. Alternatively or additionally, asurface surrounding the space between the front and rear surfaces may bereferred to as a side surface of the electronic device.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating the arrangement of a UWBantenna in a mobile electronic device 300 (e.g., the electronic device101 in FIG. 1) according to various embodiments of the disclosure. Withreference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the electronic device 300 (e.g., theelectronic device 101 in FIG. 1) may include a side bezel structure (orside frame) 310, a first support member (or first support frame) 311, afront plate (or front cover) 320, a display 330 (e.g., the displaymodule 160 in FIG. 1), at least one printed circuit board 340 and 341, abattery 350 (e.g., the battery 189 in FIG. 1), a second support member(or second support frame) 360, a UWB antenna 370 (e.g., the UWB antenna260 in FIG. 2), a rear plate (or rear cover) 380, and a camera module390 (e.g., the camera module 180 in FIG. 1). The front plate 320 mayform a first surface (or front surface) of the electronic device 300facing a first direction, the rear plate 380 may form a second surface(or rear surface) of the electronic device 300 facing a second directionopposite to the first direction, and the side bezel structure 310 madeof a combination of a metal (e.g., steel use stainless (SUS) orstainless steel (SS)) and a polymer may form a side surface surroundingthe space between the first and second surfaces. According to someembodiments, a structure including the first surface, the secondsurface, and the side surface may be referred to as a housing (orhousing structure). In some embodiments, at least one of the componentsof the electronic device 300 (e.g., the first support member 311 or thesecond support member 360) may be omitted, or any other component may befurther included in the electronic device 300.

In some embodiments, the printed circuit boards 340 and 341 may bedisposed to be supported by the first support member 311 and/or thesecond support member 360. The first support member 311 may be combinedwith the side bezel structure 310. The first support member 311 mayinclude a structure (e.g., a metal or a polymer) extending from the sidebezel structure 310. The first support member 311 may be formed of, forexample, a metal and/or a non-metal material (e.g., a polymer). Thedisplay 330 may be coupled to one surface of the second support member360, and the printed circuit boards 340 and 341 may be coupled to theother surface. The printed circuit boards 340 and 341 may be equippedwith the processor 120, the memory 130, and/or the interface 177.According to some embodiments, the printed circuit boards 340 and 341may include a main board 340 and a sub-board 341. The processor 120 mayinclude, for example, one or more of a central processing unit, anapplication processor, a graphic processing unit, an image signalprocessor, a sensor hub processor, and a communication processor. Thememory 130 may include, for example, a volatile memory or a non-volatilememory.

In some embodiments, the battery 350 may be disposed to be supported bythe first support member 311 and/or the second support member 360. Thebattery 350 is a device for supplying power to at least one component ofthe electronic device 300 and may include, for example, anon-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or afuel cell. At least a portion of the battery 350 may be disposed onsubstantially the same plane as the printed circuit boards 340 and 341.

An antenna for the UWB communication may be disposed on the rear surfaceof the electronic device 300. For example, in case of channel 9 having acenter frequency of about 8 GHz, a plurality of antennas for measuringthe angle of arrival (AoA) may be disposed on the rear surface atregular intervals (e.g., about 18 mm). Another antenna may be disposedon the side surface of the electronic device 300. According to variousembodiments, the antenna disposed on the side surface may be used forthe UWB communication.

A directional antenna may be disposed on the rear surface. For example,the radiation pattern (or beam pattern) of the directional antennadisposed on the rear surface may have a strong directionality in afacing direction of the rear surface (the positive z-axis direction inFIG. 3). In some embodiments, an omnidirectional or non-directionalantenna may be disposed on the rear surface. For example, the radiationpattern of the omnidirectional antenna disposed on the side surface mayhave a shape that spreads in the positive x-axis, positive y-axis,negative x-axis, and negative y-axis directions as well as in thepositive z-axis direction. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the side surfaceof the electronic device 300 is opened in the negative z-axis directioncompared to the rear surface. Thus, when then omnidirectional ornon-directional antenna is disposed on the side surface, the radiationpattern may have a shape that spreads in all directions including thenegative z-axis direction. As such, in a non-line-of-sight (NLoS)situation in which the external electronic device does not exist (e.g.,is not located) within the FoV set based on the rear surface (e.g., theuser puts the electronic device 300 on the table with the rear surfacefacing the table), there may be a high probability that the first RFsignal received from the external electronic device through theomnidirectional antenna disposed on the side or rear surface is a signalthat directly arrives at the electronic device 300 without an obstaclein the middle. Alternatively or additionally, in the NLoS situation, theprobability that the first RF signal arriving at the directional antennadisposed on the rear surface is a signal that arrives directly at theelectronic device 300 without an obstacle in the middle may berelatively low. In various embodiments, the electronic device 300 maydetermine whether the external electronic device exists (e.g., islocated) within the FoV, based on a time difference between a time whenthe RF signal is received through the directional antenna disposed onthe rear surface and a time when the RF signal is received through theomnidirectional antenna disposed on the side surface (or rear surface).

In some embodiments, the UWB antenna 370 (e.g., the UWB antenna 260 inFIG. 2) may include at least two directional antennas (e.g., patchantennas) 371, 372, and 373 disposed on the rear surface and at leastone omnidirectional antenna 374, 375, and 376 disposed on the sidesurface. Alternatively or additionally, at least one omnidirectionalantenna may be disposed on the rear surface (not shown). The at leastone antenna 374, 375, and 376 disposed on the side surface may include ametal formed in the side bezel structure 310. The at least one antenna374, 375, and 376 disposed on the side surface may include a laserdirect structuring (LDS) structure formed using a laser. The at leasttwo antennas 371, 372, and 373 disposed on the rear surface may bedisposed between the first support member 311 and the rear plate 380.For example, the first support member 311 may include a main boardsupport member 311 a for supporting the main board 340 and a sub-boardsupport member 311 b for supporting the sub-board 341. When the rearsurface is viewed as shown in FIG. 3B, the at least two antennas 371,372, and 373 disposed on the rear surface may be fixed to the main boardsupport member 311 a without overlapping the camera module 390 and thebattery 350. In the side bezel structure 310, a metal formed in aportion adjacent to the main board support member 311 a may be used asthe omnidirectional antenna for the UWB communication. For example, inFIG. 3B, among the UWB antennas 370, the omnidirectional antenna mayinclude an antenna 374 adjacent to the left side of the main boardsupport member 311 a and forming a part of the left side of the sidebezel structure 310, an antenna 375 adjacent to the upper side of themain board support member 311 a and forming a part of the upper side ofthe side bezel structure 310, and an antenna 376 adjacent to the upperside of the main board support member 311 a and forming the upper rightcorner of the side bezel structure 310. Each of the antennas 371, 372,373, 374, 375, and 376 may be referred to as an antenna element. Forexample, the UWB antenna 370 may include the directional antennaelements 371, 372, and 373, and the omnidirectional antenna elements374, 375, and 376.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 400configured to determine whether an external electronic device 401performing positioning communication with the electronic device 400exists within a FoV according to various embodiments of the disclosure.FIG. 5A is a conceptual diagram illustrating the FoV that is set basedon a rear surface of the electronic device 400 shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5Bis a diagram illustrating a method of measuring an AoA using directionalantennas disposed on the rear surface of the electronic device 400. Withreference to FIG. 4, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the electronicdevice 101 in FIG. 1) may include UWB antennas 410, a UWB communicationcircuit 430, a memory 488, and a processor 499. The above components ofthe electronic device 400 may be operatively or electrically connectedto each other. The memory 488 (e.g., the memory 130 in FIG. 1) mayinclude an antenna selection module 440, a FoV determination module 450,and a positioning module 460. For example, the antenna selection module440, the FoV determination module 450, and the positioning module 460may be stored as instructions in the memory 488 and executed by theprocessor 499 (e.g., the processor 120 in FIG. 1). At least one of theantenna selection module 440, the FoV determination module 450, and thepositioning module 460 may be executed by a processor (e.g., theauxiliary processor 123) specialized for the UWB communication.

The UWB antennas 410 may include a directional antenna 411 and anomnidirectional antenna 412. The directional antenna 411 may include apatch antenna disposed on the rear surface of the electronic device 400.For example, the directional antenna 411 may include the antennas 371,372, and 373 shown in FIG. 3. The omnidirectional antenna 412 mayinclude a metal and/or an LDS structure constituting a portion of theside surface of the electronic device 400. For example, theomnidirectional antenna 412 may include the antennas 374, 375, and 376shown in FIG. 3. The omnidirectional antenna 412 may include a metaland/or an LDS structure disposed on the rear surface of the electronicdevice 400. For example, the omnidirectional antenna may be additionallydisposed on the main board support member 311 a in a region 395 thatdoes not overlap with the camera module 390 and the antennas 371, 372,and 373. The omnidirectional antenna may be additionally disposed on thesub-board support member 311 b.

The UWB communication circuit 430 (e.g., the UWB communication circuit220 in FIG. 2) may receive from the processor 499 a digital signalrequired for measuring the position of the external electronic device401 (hereinafter, a positioning message) (e.g., a ranging controlmessage (RCM), a ranging initiation message (RIM), a ranging responsemessage (RRM), a ranging final message (RFM), and a measurement reportmessage (MRM)), modulate the digital signal into an RF signal having afrequency belonging to a frequency band (e.g., about 3.1 to 10.6 GHz)designated to be used for the UWB communication, and output the RFsignal to the UWB antennas 410. The UWB communication circuit 430 mayreceive an RF signal through the UWB antennas 410, demodulate the RFsignal into a digital signal including a positioning message, and outputthe digital signal to the processor 499. The UWB communication circuit430 may include a plurality of signal paths. The signal paths mayinclude a transmit path (or transmit circuitry) and a plurality ofreceive paths (or receive circuitry). For example, the transmit path mayinclude an amplifier circuit (e.g., a power amplifier (PA)) thatamplifies the RF signal, and a conductive line that connects theamplifier circuit to an antenna (e.g., the second antenna 372)designated for transmission among the UWB antennas 410. The plurality ofreceive paths may include conductive lines connected to the antennas371, 372, 373, 374, 375, and 376, respectively. Each of the receivepaths may further include an amplifier circuit (e.g., a low noiseamplifier (LNA)). The UWB communication circuit 430 may further includea switch circuit used to select an antenna to receive the RF signal fromamong the UWB antennas 410. For example, the switch circuit may connecta receive path corresponding to an antenna selected by the antennaselection module 440 to the processor 499 (or a modem for signalmodulation/demodulation in the UWB communication circuit 430).

The antenna selection module 440 may select an antenna to receive the RFsignal from the external electronic device 401 from among the UWBantennas 410. The antenna selection module 440 may be implemented as anapplication (e.g., the application 146 in FIG. 1). The antenna selectionmodule 440 may select an antenna to be used for the positioningcommunication, based on a specified value (e.g., configuration value)indicating a combination of antennas. For example, the antenna selectionmodule 440 may select an antenna for AoA measurement, distancemeasurement, or FoV determination from among the UWB antennas 410.

In some embodiments, the antenna selection module 440 may select thedirectional antenna 411 as an antenna used to measure the AoA of the RFsignal received from the external electronic device 401. For example,with reference to FIG. 3B, the antenna selection module 440 may selectthe antennas 371 and 372 aligned in the x-axis direction as an antennaused to measure an angle in the x-axis direction (e.g., an azimuth angleor a left-right angle). The antenna selection module 440 may select theantennas 371 and 373 aligned in the y-axis direction as an antenna usedto measure an angle in the y-axis direction (e.g., an elevation angle oran up-down angle).

In some embodiments, the memory 488 may store location information aboutat least one antenna (e.g., the directional antenna 411 and/or theomnidirectional antenna 412) of the electronic device 400 andorientation information (e.g., a landscape mode or a portrait mode) ofthe electronic device 400, and the antenna selection module 440 mayselect an antenna for measuring the AoA of the RF signal, based on thelocation information about the antenna and the orientation informationof the electronic device 400.

In some embodiments, the antenna selection module 440 may select thedirectional antenna 411 and/or the omnidirectional antenna 412 as anantenna used to measure a distance between the electronic device 400 andthe external electronic device 401.

With reference to FIG. 5A, in some embodiments, the antenna selectionmodule 440 may select the directional antenna 411 and theomnidirectional antenna 412 as antennas used to determine whether theexternal electronic device 401 exists within the FoV. For example, theantenna selection module 440 may select at least one of the antennas371, 372, and 373 and at least one of the antennas 374, 375, and 376 asantennas for determining the FoV. A field of view (FoV) (e.g., anobservation region) may be defined as a region existing within aspecified angular range 501 with respect to a direction (the z-axisdirection in FIG. 5) to which the rear surface of the electronic device400 faces.

The FoV determination module 450 may identify a time when thepositioning message is received from the external electronic device 401through the directional antenna 411, and a time when the positioningmessage is received from the external electronic device 401 through theomnidirectional antenna 412. Using a difference (e.g., a timedifference) between the two identified times, the FoV determinationmodule 450 may determine whether the external electronic device 401exists within the FoV.

In some embodiments, when the time difference is equal to or less than aspecified time reference value, the FoV determination module 450 maydetermine that the external electronic device 401 exists within the FoV.When the time difference exceeds the time reference value, the FoVdetermination module 450 may determine that the external electronicdevice 401 is outside the FoV.

In some embodiments, the FoV determination module 450 may calculate thedistance between the electronic device 400 and the external electronicdevice 401 using the time when the positioning message is received fromthe external electronic device 401 through the directional antenna 411.The FoV determination module 450 may calculate the distance between theelectronic device 400 and the external electronic device 401 using thetime when the positioning message is received from the externalelectronic device 401 through the omnidirectional antenna 412. When adifference between the two calculated distances (distance difference) isequal to or less than a specified distance reference value, the FoVdetermination module 450 may determine that the external electronicdevice 401 exists within the FoV. When the distance difference exceedsthe distance reference value, the FoV determination module 450 maydetermine that the external electronic device 401 exists outside theFoV.

In some embodiments, the FoV determination module 450 may calculate thedistance between the electronic device 400 and the external electronicdevice 401 using the time when the positioning message is received fromthe external electronic device 401 through the directional antenna 411.The FoV determination module 450 may calculate the distance between theelectronic device 400 and the external electronic device 401 using thetime when the positioning message is received from the externalelectronic device 401 through one (e.g., the antenna 374 formed on theleft side when viewed in FIG. 3B) of the elements of the omnidirectionalantenna 412. The FoV determination module 450 may calculate the distancebetween the electronic device 400 and the external electronic device 401using the time when the positioning message is received from theexternal electronic device 401 through another (e.g., the antenna 375formed on the upper side when viewed in FIG. 3B) of the elements of theomnidirectional antenna 412. If a difference between the minimum valueand the maximum value among the calculated distance values is equal toor less than a specified distance reference value, the FoV determinationmodule 450 may determine that the external electronic device 401 exists(e.g., is located) within the FoV. If the difference between the minimumvalue and the maximum value exceeds the distance reference value, theFoV determination module 450 may determine that the external electronicdevice 401 exists (e.g., is located) outside the FoV.

With reference to FIG. 5B, from the distance information stored inadvance in the memory 488, the positioning module 460 may know adistance (d) 520 between the first antenna 371 and the second antenna372 (or the third antenna 373) disposed on the main board support member311 a. When the RF signal transmitted by the external electronic devicearrives at the electronic device 400, the positioning module 460 maycalculate a difference (Δd) 530 between a distance from the externalelectronic device to the first antenna 371 and a distance from theexternal electronic device to the second antenna 372 using Equation 1below. In Equation 1, ‘θ’ may denote the AoA 540 to be obtained.

Δd=d·cos θ  [Eq. 1]

The positioning module 460 may calculate a phase difference (ΔΦA 11) ofthe RF signal arriving at the first antenna 371 and the second antenna372 using Equation 2 below. In Equation 2, ‘λ’ may be the wavelength ofthe RF signal.

$\begin{matrix}{{\Delta\Phi} = {{\frac{2\pi}{\lambda} \cdot \Delta}d}} & \left\lbrack {{Eq}.2} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

The positioning module 460 may calculate the AoA 540 using Equation 3below derived from Equations 1 and 2.

$\begin{matrix}{\theta = {\cos^{- 1}\frac{\Delta\Phi}{2\pi d/\lambda}}} & \left\lbrack {{Eq}.3} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

When the external electronic device 401 has been determined to existwithin the FoV, the positioning module 460 may estimate the position ofthe external electronic device 401 using the measured distance (d) 520and AoA 540. The processor 499 may add information indicating theestimated position in an image obtained using a camera and then displaythe image on the display.

In some embodiments, when the external electronic device 401 has beendetermined to not exist within the FoV, the processor 499 may display,on the display, information indicating that the external electronicdevice 401 exists outside the FoV. For example, information estimated asthe position of the external electronic device 401 may be displayed onthe display.

FIG. 6 illustrates operations of a processor 499 using double side(DS)-two way ranging (TWR) according to various embodiments of thedisclosure.

At operation 610, the processor 499 may perform a UWB ranging setupprocess for the external electronic device 401 through wirelesscommunication with the external electronic device 401. In someembodiments, the processor 499 may determine to activate UWBcommunication using the UWB communication circuit 430, based on a signalreceived from the external electronic device 401 through a BLEcommunication channel established between the electronic device 400 andthe external electronic device 401. For example, when the strength of asignal received through a short-range communication module (e.g., BLE,Bluetooth, or WiFi) exceeds a specified threshold, or the signalstrength is getting stronger, or both of the above conditions aresatisfied, the processor 499 may determine the activation of the UWBcommunication. Upon this determination, the processor 499 may exchangeUWB session information (e.g., wireless communication channel, sessionID, and data rate) necessary for establishing a UWB communicationchannel with the external electronic device 401 through the BLEcommunication channel. Additionally, the processor 499 may alsodetermine a UWB communication cycle by transmitting and receivinginformation related to the UWB communication cycle to and from theexternal electronic device 401 through the BLE communication channel.Using the exchanged UWB session information, the processor 499 mayestablish the UWB communication channel with the external electronicdevice 401.

At operation 620, the processor 499 may receive a ranging controlmessage (RCM) from the external electronic device 401 through the UWBantenna 410 via the UWB communication channel. For example, theprocessor 499 may receive the RCM including information indicating thata positioning scheme is DS-TWR, from the external electronic device 401through the UWB communication channel. The DS-TWR related informationmay include information indicating that the positioning communication isperformed in such a way that a device set as a responder (or controller)receives a ranging initiation message (RIM) and a ranging final message(RFM) from a device set as an initiator (or controlee) and also theinitiator receives a ranging response message (RRM) from the responder.Alternatively or additionally, the DS-TWR related information mayinclude information indicating that the external electronic device 401is set as the initiator and the electronic device 400 is set as theresponder.

At operation 630, the processor 499 may receive the RIM from theexternal electronic device 401 set as the initiator through thedirectional antenna 411 among the elements of the UWB antenna 410. Theprocessor 499 may identify an RIM reception time T1 from the directionalantenna 411, and store the RIM reception time T1 in the memory 488. Forexample, for AoA measurement, the processor 499 may receive the RIMsthrough two of the elements 371, 372, and 373 of the directional antenna411, respectively. Then, the processor 499 may identify a reception timet11 from the first directional antenna element and a reception time t12from the second directional antenna element, and determine a smallervalue (and/or an average value) between t11 and t12 as a representativevalue T1 of t11 and t12.

In another example, the processor 499 may receive the RIMs via theelements 371, 372, and 373 of the directional antenna 411, respectively.Then, the processor 499 may identify a reception time t11 from the firstdirectional antenna element, a reception time t12 from the seconddirectional antenna element, and a reception time t13 from the thirddirectional antenna element, and determine the smallest value (and/or anaverage value and/or a median value) among t11, t12, and t13 as arepresentative value T1 of t11, t12, and t13.

At operation 640, the processor 499 may transmit the RRM to the externalelectronic device 401 through the UWB antenna 410 in response to the RIMreception. The processor 499 may identify an RRM transmission time T2and store the RRM transmission time T2 in the memory 488. The processor499 may store a first reply time as a difference between T1 and T2 inthe memory 488. The external electronic device 401 may transmit the RFMto the electronic device 400 in response to the RRM reception.

At operation 650, the processor 499 may receive the RFM from theexternal electronic device 401 through each of the directional antenna411 and the omnidirectional antenna 412 of the UWB antenna 410. Forexample, the processor 499 may receive the RFM via one of the elements371, 372, and 373 of the directional antenna 411. The processor 499 mayreceive the RFM via one of the elements 374, 375, and 375 of theomnidirectional antenna 412. The processor 499 may identify an RFMreception time t51 from the directional antenna 411 and store the RFMreception time t51 in the memory 488. The processor 499 may identify anRFM reception time t52 from the omnidirectional antenna 412 and storethe RFM reception time t52 in the memory 488. The processor 499 maydetermine a smaller value (and/or an average value) between t51 and t52as a representative value T5 of t51 and t52. The processor 499 maystore, in the memory 488, a first value ‘RTT1’ of a second round triptime as a difference between T2 and t51 and a second value ‘RTT2’ of thesecond round trip time as a difference between T2 and t52.

In another example, the processor 499 may receive the RFM via one of theelements 371, 372, and 373 of the directional antenna 411. The processor499 may receive the RFM via two of the elements 374, 375, and 375 of theomnidirectional antenna 412. The processor 499 may identify the RFMreception time t51 from the directional antenna 411, an RFM receptiontime t521 from the first omnidirectional antenna element, and an RFMreception time t522 from the second omnidirectional antenna element, andstore t51, t521, and t522 in the memory 488. The processor 499 maydetermine a smaller value (and/or an average value) between t521 andt522 as a representative value t52 of t521 and t522. The processor 499may determine a smaller value (and/or an average value) between t51 andt52 as a representative value T5 of t51 and t52. The processor 499 maystore, in the memory 488, the first value ‘RTT1’ of the second roundtrip time as a difference between T2 and t51 and the second value ‘RTT2’of the second round trip time as a difference between T2 and t52.

At operation 660, from the external electronic device 401 through theUWB antenna 410, the processor 499 may receive an MRM includinginformation (e.g., a timestamp value indicating T0) indicating a time T0when the external electronic device 401 transmits the RIM, informationindicating a time T3 when the external electronic device 401 receivesthe RRM, and information indicating a time T4 when the externalelectronic device 401 transmits the RFM. The processor 499 may receivethe MRM including information indicating, instead of T0, T3, and T4, afirst round trip time as a difference between T0 and T3 and a secondreply time as a difference between T3 and T4 from the externalelectronic device 401 through the UWB antenna 410.

At operation 670, using t51 and t52, the processor 499 may determinewhether the external electronic device 401 exists within the FoV. Whenthe external electronic device 401 has been determined to exist withinthe FoV, the processor 499 may calculate the AoA using the received RIM.

In an example of the operation 670, the processor 499 may obtain a firstdistance value by inputting T0, T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5 (corresponding tot51) into Equation 4 below. The processor 499 may obtain a seconddistance value by inputting t52 into Equation 4 instead of t51. When adistance difference between the first distance value and the seconddistance value is equal to or less than a specified distance referencevalue, the processor 499 may determine that the external electronicdevice 401 exists within the FoV. When the distance difference exceedsthe distance reference value, the processor 499 may determine that theexternal electronic device 401 is outside the FoV.

${ToF} = \frac{\begin{matrix}{{1{st}{RTT}\left( {{T3} - {T0}} \right)} - {1{st}{reply}{time}\left( {{T2} - {T1}} \right)} +} \\{{2{nd}{RTT}\left( {{T5} - {T2}} \right)} - {2{nd}{reply}{time}\left( {{T4} - {T3}} \right)}}\end{matrix}}{4}$ $\begin{matrix}{{D({distance})} = {{ToF} \times {speed}{of}{light}}} & \left\lbrack {{Eq}.4} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

In some embodiments, from the external electronic device 401, theprocessor 499 may receive information indicating TO through the RIM andinformation indicating T3 and T4 through the RFM. Alternatively oradditionally, the processor 499 may receive information indicating T0,T3, and T4 from the external electronic device 401 through the RFM.Alternatively or additionally, the processor 499 may receive informationindicating the first round trip time and the second reply time from theexternal electronic device 401 through the RFM. According to suchembodiments, the operation 660 may be omitted.

In other embodiments of the operation 630, the processor 499 may receivethe RIM from the external electronic device 401 through the directionalantenna 411 and the omnidirectional antenna 412 of the UWB antenna 410.For example, the processor 499 may receive the RIM via at least two ofthe elements 371, 372, and 373 of the directional antenna 411. Theprocessor 499 may receive the RIM via one of the elements 374, 375, and376 of the omnidirectional antenna 412. The processor 499 may store areception time t11 from the first directional antenna element, areception time t12 from the second directional antenna element, and areception time t13 from the omnidirectional antenna element in thememory 488. The processor 499 may determine the smallest value (and/oran average value or a median value) among t11, t12, and t13 as arepresentative value T1 of t11, t12, and t13.

In some embodiments, at least one of the above operations 610, 620, 630,640, 650, and 660 may be performed, on behalf of the processor 499, bythe UWB communication circuit 430 implemented as a chipset. For example,the UWB communication circuit 430 may obtain the first distance value byinputting T0, T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5 (corresponding to t51) intoEquation 1 above. The UWB communication circuit 430 may obtain thesecond distance value by inputting t52 into Equation 1 instead of t51.The UWB communication circuit 430 may deliver the obtained distancevalues to the processor 499.

In some embodiments, the processor 499 may include a first processorthat performs the operations 610, 620, 630, 640, 650, and 660, and asecond processor that performs the operation 670. For example, the firstprocessor may include a communication processor embedded in a chipsettogether with the UWB communication circuit 430. The second processormay include an application processor.

FIG. 7 illustrates operations of a processor 499 using a single side(SS)-TWR according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

At operation 710 (e.g., the operation 610), the processor 499 mayperform a UWB ranging setup process for the external electronic device401 through wireless communication with the external electronic device401.

At operation 720, the processor 499 may receive a ranging controlmessage (RCM) from the external electronic device 401 through the UWBantenna 410 via the UWB communication channel. For example, theprocessor 499 may receive the RCM including information indicating thata positioning scheme is SS-TWR, from the external electronic device 401through the UWB communication channel. This SS-TWR related informationmay include information indicating that the positioning communication isperformed in such a way that a device set as a responder receives aranging initiation message (RIM) from a device set as an initiator andalso the responder transmits a ranging response message (RRM) to theinitiator twice in sequence. The SS-TWR related information may alsoinclude information indicating that the electronic device 400 is set asthe initiator and the external electronic device 401 is set as theresponder.

At operation 730, the processor 499 of the electronic device 400 set asthe initiator may transmit the RIM to the external electronic device 401through the UWB antenna 410. The processor 499 may identify a time T0when the RIM is transmitted to the external electronic device 401, andstore the time T0 in the memory 488. The external electronic device 401may sequentially transmit a first RRM and a second RRM to the electronicdevice 400 in response to RIM reception.

At operation 740, the processor 499 may receive the first RRM from theexternal electronic device 401 through the directional antenna 411. Theprocessor 499 may identify a first RRM reception time T3 from thedirectional antenna 411 and store the first RRM reception time T3 in thememory 488. For example, for AoA measurement, the processor 499 mayreceive the first RRMs through two of the elements 371, 372, and 373 ofthe directional antenna 411, respectively. Then, the processor 499 mayidentify a reception time t31 from the first directional antenna elementand a reception time t32 from the second directional antenna element,and determine a smaller value (and/or an average value) between t31 andt32 as a representative value T3 of t31 and t32.

In another example, the processor 499 may receive the first RRMs via theelements 371, 372, and 373 of the directional antenna 411, respectively.Then, the processor 499 may identify a reception time t 31 from thefirst directional antenna element, a reception time t32 from the seconddirectional antenna element, and a reception time t33 from the thirddirectional antenna element, and determine the smallest value (or anaverage value or a median value) among t31, t32, and t33 as arepresentative value T3 of t31, t32, and t33.

At operation 750, the processor 499 may receive the second RRM from theexternal electronic device 401 through each of the directional antenna411 and the omnidirectional antenna 412. For example, the processor 499may receive the second RRM via one of the elements 371, 372, and 373 ofthe directional antenna 411. The processor 499 may receive the secondRRM via one of the elements 374, 375, and 375 of the omnidirectionalantenna 412. The processor 499 may identify a second RRM reception timet51 from the directional antenna 411 and store the second RRM receptiontime t51 in the memory 488. The processor 499 may identify a second RRMreception time t52 from the omnidirectional antenna 412 and store thesecond RRM reception time t52 in the memory 488. The processor 499 maydetermine a smaller value (and/or an average value) between t51 and t52as a representative value T5 of t51 and t52. The processor 499 maystore, in the memory 488, a first value ‘RTT1’ of a second round triptime as a difference between T0 and t51 and a second value ‘RTT2’ of thesecond round trip time as a difference between TO and t 52.

In another example, the processor 499 may receive the second RRM via oneof the elements 371, 372, and 373 of the directional antenna 411. Theprocessor 499 may receive the second RRM via two of the elements 374,375, and 375 of the omnidirectional antenna 412. The processor 499 mayidentify the second RRM reception time t51 from the directional antenna411, a second RRM reception time t521 from the first omnidirectionalantenna element, and a second RRM reception time t522 from the secondomnidirectional antenna element, and store t51, t521, and t522 in thememory 488. The processor 499 may determine a smaller value (and/or anaverage value) between t 521 and t 522 as a representative value t52 oft521 and t522. The processor 499 may determine a smaller value (and/oran average value) between t51 and t52 as a representative value T5 oft51 and t52. The processor 499 may store, in the memory 488, the firstvalue ‘RTT1’ of the second round trip time as a difference between T0and t51 and the second value ‘RTT2’ of the second round trip time as adifference between T0 and t52.

At operation 760, from the external electronic device 401 through theUWB antenna 410, the processor 499 may receive an MRM includinginformation indicating a time T1 when the external electronic device 401receives the RIM, information indicating a time T2 when the externalelectronic device 401 transmits the first RRM, and informationindicating a time T4 when the external electronic device 401 transmitsthe second RRM. The processor 499 may receive the MRM includinginformation indicating, instead of T1, T2, and T4, a first reply time asa difference between T1 and T2 and a second reply time as a differencebetween T1 and T4 from the external electronic device 401 through theUWB antenna 410.

At operation 770, using t51 and t52, the processor 499 may determinewhether the external electronic device 401 exists within the FoV.

In an example of the operation 770, the processor 499 may obtain a firstdistance value by inputting T0, T1, T2, T4, and T5 (corresponding tot51) into Equation 5 below. The processor 499 may obtain a seconddistance value by inputting t52 into Equation 5 instead of t51. When adistance difference between the first distance value and the seconddistance value is equal to or less than a specified distance referencevalue, the processor 499 may determine that the external electronicdevice 401 exists within the FoV. When the distance difference exceedsthe distance reference value, the processor 499 may determine that theexternal electronic device 401 is outside the FoV.

${ToF} = \frac{{2{nd}{{RTT}\left( {{T5} - {T0}} \right)}} - {2{nd}{reply}{time}\left( {{T4} - {T1}} \right)}}{2}$$\begin{matrix}{{D({distance})} = {{ToF} \times {speed}{of}{light}}} & \left\lbrack {{Eq}.5} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

In some embodiments, from the external electronic device 401, theprocessor 499 may receive information indicating T1 and T2 through thefirst RRM and information indicating T4 through the second RRM.Alternatively or additionally, the processor 499 may receive informationindicating T0, T2, and T4 from the external electronic device 401through the second RRM. Alternatively or additionally, the processor 499may receive information indicating the first reply time and the secondreply time from the external electronic device 401 through the secondRRM. According to such embodiments, the operation 760 may be omitted.

In some embodiments, at least one of the above operations 710, 720, 730,740, 750, and 760 may be performed, on behalf of the processor 499, bythe UWB communication circuit 430 implemented as a chipset. For example,the UWB communication circuit 430 may obtain the first distance value byinputting T0, T1, T4, and T5 (corresponding to t51) into Equation 2above. The UWB communication circuit 430 may obtain the second distancevalue by inputting t52 into Equation 2 instead of t51. The UWBcommunication circuit 430 may deliver the obtained distance values tothe processor 499.

In some embodiments, the processor 499 may include a first processorthat performs the operations 710, 720, 730, 740, 750, and 760, and asecond processor that performs the operation 770. For example, the firstprocessor may include a communication processor embedded in a chipsettogether with the UWB communication circuit 430. The second processormay include an application processor.

FIG. 8 illustrates operations of a processor 499 using SS-TWR accordingto various embodiments of the disclosure.

At operation 810 (e.g., the operation 610), the processor 499 mayperform a UWB ranging setup process for the external electronic device401 through wireless communication with the external electronic device401.

At operation 820, the processor 499 may receive a ranging controlmessage (RCM) from the external electronic device 401 through the UWBantenna 410 via the UWB communication channel. For example, theprocessor 499 may receive the RCM including information indicating thata positioning scheme is SS-TWR, from the external electronic device 401through the UWB communication channel. This SS-TWR related informationmay include information indicating that the positioning communication isperformed in such a way that a device set as a responder receives aranging initiation message (RIM) from a device set as an initiator andalso the responder transmits a ranging response message (RRM) to theinitiator once. The SS-TWR related information may also includeinformation indicating that the electronic device 400 is set as theinitiator and the external electronic device 401 is set as theresponder.

At operation 830, the processor 499 of the electronic device 400 set asthe initiator may transmit the RIM to the external electronic device 401through the UWB antenna 410. The processor 499 may identify a time TOwhen the RIM is transmitted to the external electronic device 401, andstore the time TO in the memory 488. The external electronic device 401may transmit the RRM to the electronic device 400 in response to RIMreception.

At operation 840, the processor 499 may receive the RRM from theexternal electronic device 401 through each of the directional antenna411 and the omnidirectional antenna 412.

In an example of the operation 840, the processor 499 may receive theRRM via one of the elements 371, 372, and 373 of the directional antenna411. The processor 499 may receive the RRM via one of the elements 374,375, and 375 of the omnidirectional antenna 412. The processor 499 mayidentify an RRM reception time t31 from the directional antenna 411 andstore RRM reception time t31 in the memory 488. The processor 499 mayidentify an RRM reception time t32 from the omnidirectional antenna 412and store the RRM reception time t32 in the memory 488. The processor499 may determine a smaller value (or an average value) between t31 andt32 as a representative value T3 of t31 and t32. The processor 499 maystore, in the memory 488, a first value ‘RTT1’ of a round trip time as adifference between T0 and t31 and a second value ‘RTT2’ of the roundtrip time as a difference between T0 and t 32. This example may beperformed in case that AoA measurement is not required (e.g., in case ofproviding only the distance between the two devices 400 and 401 to theuser of the electronic device 400 without a need to provide the exactposition of the external electronic device 401).

In another example of the operation 840, the processor 499 may receivethe RRM via one of the elements 371, 372, and 373 of the directionalantenna 411. The processor 499 may receive the RRM via two of theelements 374, 375, and 375 of the omnidirectional antenna 412. Theprocessor 499 may identify the RRM reception time t31 from thedirectional antenna 411, an RRM reception time t321 from the firstomnidirectional antenna element, and an RRM reception time t322 from thesecond omnidirectional antenna element, and store t31, t321, and t322 inthe memory 488. The processor 499 may determine a smaller value (and/oran average value) between t321 and t322 as a representative value t32 oft321 and t322. The processor 499 may determine a smaller value (and/oran average value) between t31 and t32 as a representative value T3 oft31 and t32. The processor 499 may store, in the memory 488, the firstvalue ‘RTT1’ of the round trip time as a difference between T0 and t31and the second value ‘RTT2’ of the round trip time as a differencebetween T0 and t32. This example may be performed in case that AoAmeasurement is not required.

In yet another example of the operation 840, the processor 499 mayreceive the RRM via at least two of the elements 371, 372, and 373 ofthe directional antenna 411. The processor 499 may receive the RRM viaone of the elements 374, 375, and 375 of the omnidirectional antenna412. The processor 499 may store, in the memory 488, a reception timet311 from the first directional antenna element, a reception time t312from the second directional antenna element, and a reception time t32from the omnidirectional antenna element. The processor 499 maydetermine a smaller value (and/or an average value) between t311 andt312 as a representative value t31 of t311 and t312. The processor 499may determine a smaller value (or an average value) between t31 and t32as a representative value T3 of t31 and t32. The processor 499 maystore, in the memory 488, the first value ‘RTT1’ of the round trip timeas a difference between T0 and t31 and the second value ‘RTT2’ of theround trip time as a difference between T0 and t32. This example may beperformed in case that AoA measurement is required.

At operation 850, from the external electronic device 401 through theUWB antenna 410, the processor 499 may receive an MRM includinginformation indicating a time T1 when the external electronic device 401receives the RIM, and information indicating a time T2 when the externalelectronic device 401 transmits the RRM. The processor 499 may receivethe MRM including information indicating, instead of T1 and T2, a replytime as a difference between T1 and T2 from the external electronicdevice 401 through the UWB antenna 410.

At operation 860, using t31 and t32, the processor 499 may determinewhether the external electronic device 401 exists within the FoV.

In an example of the operation 860, the processor 499 may obtain a firstdistance value by inputting T0, T1, T2, and T3 (corresponding to t31)into Equation 6 below. The processor 499 may obtain a second distancevalue by inputting t32 into Equation 6 instead of t31. When a distancedifference between the first distance value and the second distancevalue is equal to or less than a specified distance reference value, theprocessor 499 may determine that the external electronic device 401exists within the FoV. When the distance difference exceeds the distancereference value, the processor 499 may determine that the externalelectronic device 401 is outside the FoV.

${ToF} = \frac{{{RTT}\left( {{T3} - {T0}} \right)} - {{reply}{time}\left( {{T2} - {T1}} \right)}}{2}$$\begin{matrix}{{D({distance})} = {{ToF} \times {speed}{of}{light}}} & \left\lbrack {{Eq}.6} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

In some embodiments, the processor 499 may receive informationindicating T1 and T2 from the external electronic device 401 through theRRM. Alternatively or additionally, the processor 499 may receiveinformation indicating the reply time from the external electronicdevice 401 through the RRM. According to such embodiments, the operation850 may be omitted.

In some embodiments, at least one of the above operations 810, 820, 830,840, and 850 may be performed, on behalf of the processor 499, by theUWB communication circuit 430 implemented as a chipset. For example, theUWB communication circuit 430 may obtain the first distance value byinputting T0, T1, T2, and T3 (corresponding to t31) into Equation 3above. The UWB communication circuit 430 may obtain the second distancevalue by inputting t32 into Equation 3 instead of t31. The UWBcommunication circuit 430 may deliver the obtained distance values tothe processor 499.

In some embodiments, the processor 499 may include a first processorthat performs the operations 810, 820, 830, 840, and 850, and a secondprocessor that performs the operation 860. For example, the firstprocessor may include a communication processor embedded in a chipsettogether with the UWB communication circuit 430. The second processormay include an application processor.

FIG. 9 illustrates operations of a processor 499 according to variousembodiments of the disclosure.

At operation 910, the processor 499 may receive a first message (e.g.,RIM) from the external electronic device 401 through the UWB antenna410.

At operation 920, the processor 499 may transmit a second message (e.g.,RRM) to the external electronic device 401 through the UWB antenna 410in response to receiving the first message. The external electronicdevice 401 may transmit a third message in response to receiving thesecond message.

At operation 930 (e.g., the operation 650), the processor 499 mayreceive a third message (e.g., RFM) from the external electronic device401 through the directional antenna 411 and the omnidirectional antenna412.

At operation 940, the processor 499 may calculate a first distancevalue, based on a first time at which the first message is received, asecond time at which the second message is transmitted, a third at whichthe third message is received by the electronic device 400 through thedirectional antenna 411, and time information received from the externalelectronic device 401. Alternatively or additionally, the processor 499may calculate a second distance value, based on the first time, thesecond time, a fourth time at which the third message is received by theelectronic device 400 through the omnidirectional antenna 412, and thetime information. In some embodiments, the processor 499 may obtain thetime information from the third message. In other embodiments, theprocessor 499 may obtain the time information from a fourth message(e.g., MRM) received from the external electronic device 401 afterreceiving the third message.

At operation 950, the processor 499 may determine whether the externalelectronic device 401 exists within the FoV, based on a distancedifference between the first distance value and the second distancevalue. For example, when the distance difference is equal to or lessthan a specified distance reference value, the processor 499 maydetermine that the external electronic device 401 exists within the FoV.When the distance difference exceeds the distance reference value, theprocessor 499 may determine that the external electronic device 401 isoutside the FoV.

In some embodiments, at least one of the operations 910, 920, 930, and940 may be performed, instead of the processor 499, by the UWBcommunication circuit 430 implemented as a chipset. For example, the UWBcommunication circuit 430 may calculate the first distance value, basedon the first time, the second time, the third time, and the timeinformation received from the external electronic device 401, anddeliver the first distance value to the processor 499. The UWBcommunication circuit 430 may calculate the second distance value, basedon the first time, the second time, the fourth time point, and the timeinformation, and deliver the second distance value to the processor 499.

In some embodiments, the processor 499 may include a first processorthat performs the operations 910, 920, 930, and 940, and a secondprocessor that performs the operation 950. For example, the firstprocessor may include a communication processor embedded in a chipsettogether with the UWB communication circuit 430. The second processormay include an application processor.

FIG. 10 illustrates operations of a processor 499 according to variousembodiments of the disclosure.

At operation 1010, the processor 499 may transmit a first message (e.g.,RIM) to the external electronic device 401 through the UWB antenna 410.The external electronic device 401 may transmit a second message (e.g.,the second RRM in FIG. 7 or the RRM in FIG. 8) in response to receivingthe first message.

At operation 1020 (e.g., the operation 750 or the operation 840), theprocessor 499 may receive the second message from the externalelectronic device 401 through the directional antenna 411 and theomnidirectional antenna 412.

At operation 1030, the processor 499 may calculate a first distancevalue, based on a first time at which the first message is transmitted,a second time at which the second message is received by the electronicdevice 400 through the directional antenna 411, and time informationreceived from the external electronic device 401. Alternatively oradditionally, the processor 499 may calculate a second distance value,based on the first time, a third time at which the second message isreceived by the electronic device 400 through the omnidirectionalantenna 412, and the time information. In some embodiments, theprocessor 499 may obtain the time information from the second message.In other embodiments, the processor 499 may obtain the time informationfrom a third message (e.g., MRM) received from the external electronicdevice 401 after receiving the second message.

At operation 1040, the processor 499 may determine whether the externalelectronic device 401 exists within the FoV, based on a distancedifference between the first distance value and the second distancevalue. For example, when the distance difference is equal to or lessthan a specified distance reference value, the processor 499 maydetermine that the external electronic device 401 exists within the FoV.When the distance difference exceeds the distance reference value, theprocessor 499 may determine that the external electronic device 401 isoutside the FoV.

In some embodiments, at least one of the operations 1010, 1020, and 1030may be performed, instead of the processor 499, by the UWB communicationcircuit 430 implemented as a chipset. For example, the UWB communicationcircuit 430 may calculate the first distance value, based on the firsttime, the second time, and the time information received from theexternal electronic device 401, and deliver the first distance value tothe processor 499. The UWB communication circuit 430 may calculate thesecond distance value, based on the first time, the third time, and thetime information, and deliver the second distance value to the processor499.

In some embodiments, the processor 499 may include a first processorthat performs the operations 1010, 1020, and 1030, and a secondprocessor that performs the operation 1040. For example, the firstprocessor may include a communication processor embedded in a chipsettogether with the UWB communication circuit 430. The second processormay include an application processor.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a test result in an NLoS situation,according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

With reference to FIG. 11, a first graph 1110 represents distance valuesobtained using the directional antenna 411 in a state where the externalelectronic device is positioned outside the FoV as shown in FIG. 5, anda second graph 1120 represents distance values obtained using theomnidirectional antenna 412 in the same state.

With reference to FIG. 11, a third graph 1130 shows the result of a FoVdetermination operation (e.g., the operation 950 or the operation 1040)using a combination of the directional antenna 411 and theomnidirectional antenna 412 in the NLoS situation, and a fourth graph1140 shows the result of the FoV determination operation using thedirectional antenna 411 in the NLoS situation. In the third graph 1130and the fourth graph 1140, a high value indicates the FoV, and a lowvalue indicates the non-FoV. From the fourth graph 1140, it can be seenthat the FP issue, in which the result of the FoV determinationoperation is obtained as the FoV even though having to be the non-FoV inthe NLoS situation, frequently occurs. In contrast, from the third graph1130, it can be seen that the FP issue is relatively reduced when theFoV determination operation is performed using the combination of thedirectional antenna 411 and the omnidirectional antenna 412. Forexample, it can be seen from FIG. 11 that no FP issue occurs other thantimes t1 and t2. If the distance reference value to be used forcomparison with the distance difference is set to a lower value, wrongdetermination may not occur at that times t1 and t2 as well.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 400 in FIG. 4) may include a display disposed on afront surface of the electronic device, an UWB antenna includingdirectional antennas (e.g., the antennas 371, 372, and 373 in FIG. 3B)disposed on a rear surface opposite to the front surface and forming aradiation pattern in a direction to which the rear surface faces, and atleast one omnidirectional antenna (e.g., the antennas 374, 375, and 376in FIG. 3B) forming an omnidirectional radiation pattern compared to thedirectional antennas, a processor (e.g., the processor 499 in FIG. 4), acommunication circuit (e.g., the UWB communication circuit 430 in FIG.4) configured to convert a message to be transmitted to an externalelectronic device received from the processor into an RF signal of afrequency band designated to be used for UWB communication, and outputthe RF signal to the UWB antenna, and configured to convert an RF signalreceived from the external electronic device through the UWB antennainto a message, and output the message to the processor, and a memory(e.g., the memory 488 in FIG. 4) operatively connected to the processor.The memory may store instructions that cause, when executed, theprocessor to calculate a first distance value, based on a first time atwhich a first message (e.g., RIM) is received from the externalelectronic device through the UWB antenna, a second time at which asecond message (e.g., RRM) is transmitted to the external electronicdevice through the UWB antenna, a third time at which a third message(e.g., RFM) is received from the external electronic device through atleast one of the directional antennas of the UWB antenna, and timeinformation received from the external electronic device through the UWBantenna, to calculate a second distance value, based on the first time,the second time, a fourth time at which the third message is receivedfrom the external electronic device through the at least oneomnidirectional antenna of the UWB antenna, and the time information,and to, based on a distance difference between the first distance valueand the second distance value, determine whether the external electronicdevice exists within a FoV indicating a specified angular range withrespect to the direction to which the rear surface faces.

The instructions may cause the processor to receive the third messagethrough the at least one omnidirectional antenna disposed on a sidesurface surrounding a space between the front and rear surfaces.

The instructions may cause the processor to, when the distancedifference is less than or equal to a specified distance referencevalue, determine that the external electronic device exists within theFoV, and when the distance difference exceeds the distance referencevalue, determine that the external electronic device exists outside theFoV. The instructions may cause the processor to, when the externalelectronic device is determined to exist within the FoV, provideinformation about a position of the external electronic device throughthe display.

The instructions may cause the processor to acquire the time informationfrom the third message. Alternatively or additionally, the instructionsmay cause the processor to acquire the time information from a fourthmessage received from the external electronic device after the thirdmessage. The time information may include information indicating a timeat which the external electronic device transmits the first message,information indicating a time at which the external electronic devicereceives the second message, and information indicating a time at whichthe external electronic device transmits the third message.Alternatively or additionally, the time information may includeinformation indicating a round trip time that is a difference between atime at which the external electronic device transmits the first messageand a time at which the external electronic device receives the secondmessage, and information indicating a reply time that is a differencebetween the time at which the external electronic device receives thesecond message and a time at which the external electronic devicetransmits the third message.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 400 in FIG. 4) may include a display disposed on afront surface of the electronic device, an UWB antenna includingdirectional antennas (e.g., the antennas 371, 372, and 373 in FIG. 3B)disposed on a rear surface opposite to the front surface and forming aradiation pattern in a direction to which the rear surface faces, and atleast one omnidirectional antenna (e.g., the antennas 374, 375, and 376in FIG. 3B) forming an omnidirectional radiation pattern compared to thedirectional antennas, a processor (e.g., the processor 499 in FIG. 4), acommunication circuit (e.g., the UWB communication circuit 430 in FIG.4) configured to convert a message to be transmitted to an externalelectronic device received from the processor into a RF signal of afrequency band designated to be used for UWB communication, and outputthe RF signal to the UWB antenna, and configured to convert an RF signalreceived from the external electronic device through the UWB antennainto a message, and output the message to the processor, and a memory(e.g., the memory 488 in FIG. 4) operatively connected to the processor.The memory may store instructions that cause, when executed, theprocessor to calculate a first distance value, based on a first time atwhich a first message (e.g., RIM) is transmitted to the externalelectronic device through the UWB antenna, a second time at which asecond message (e.g., the second RRM in FIG. 7 or the RRM in FIG. 8) isreceived from the external electronic device through at least one of thedirectional antennas of the UWB antenna, and time information receivedfrom the external electronic device through the UWB antenna, tocalculate a second distance value, based on the first time, a third timeat which the second message is received from the external electronicdevice through the at least one omnidirectional antenna of the UWBantenna, and the time information, and to, based on a distancedifference between the first distance value and the second distancevalue, determine whether the external electronic device exists within aFoV indicating a specified angular range with respect to the directionto which the rear surface faces.

The instructions may cause the processor to receive the second messagethrough the at least one omnidirectional antenna disposed on a sidesurface surrounding a space between the front and rear surfaces.

The instructions may cause the processor to, when the distancedifference is less than or equal to a specified distance referencevalue, determine that the external electronic device exists within theFoV, and when the distance difference exceeds the distance referencevalue, determine that the external electronic device exists outside theFoV. The instructions may cause the processor to, when the externalelectronic device is determined to exist within the FoV, provideinformation about a position of the external electronic device throughthe display.

The instructions may cause the processor to acquire the time informationfrom the second message. Alternatively or additionally, the instructionsmay cause the processor to acquire the time information from a thirdmessage received from the external electronic device after the secondmessage. The time information may include information indicating a timeat which the external electronic device receives the first message, andinformation indicating a time at which the external electronic devicetransmits the second message. Alternatively or additionally, the timeinformation may include information indicating a reply time that is adifference between a time at which the external electronic devicereceives the first message and a time at which the external electronicdevice transmits the second message.

According to various embodiments, a method for operating an electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 400 in FIG. 4) having an UWB antennaincluding directional antennas (e.g., the antennas 371, 372, and 373 inFIG. 3B) and at least one omnidirectional antenna (e.g., the antennas374, 375, and 376 in FIG. 3B) forming an omnidirectional radiationpattern compared to the directional antennas may include calculating(e.g., the operation 940 in FIG. 9) a first distance value, based on afirst time at which a first message is received from an externalelectronic device through the UWB antenna, a second time at which asecond message is transmitted to the external electronic device throughthe UWB antenna, a third time at which a third message is received fromthe external electronic device through at least one of the directionalantennas of the UWB antenna, and time information received from theexternal electronic device through the UWB antenna, calculating (e.g.,the operation 940 in FIG. 9) a second distance value, based on the firsttime, the second time, a fourth time at which the third message isreceived from the external electronic device through the at least oneomnidirectional antenna of the UWB antenna, and the time information,and based on a distance difference between the first distance value andthe second distance value, determining (e.g., the operation 950 in FIG.9) whether the external electronic device exists within a FoV indicatinga specified angular range with respect to a direction to which onesurface of the electronic device, on which the directional antennas aredisposed, faces.

In some embodiments, determining whether the external electronic deviceexists within the FoV may include, when the distance difference is lessthan or equal to a specified distance reference value, determining thatthe external electronic device exists within the FoV, and when thedistance difference exceeds the distance reference value, determiningthat the external electronic device exists outside the FoV.

According to various embodiments, a method for operating an electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 400 in FIG. 4) having an UWB antennaincluding directional antennas (e.g., the antennas 371, 372, and 373 inFIG. 3B) and at least one omnidirectional antenna (e.g., the antennas374, 375, and 376 in FIG. 3B) forming an omnidirectional radiationpattern compared to the directional antennas may include calculating(e.g., the operation 1030 in FIG. 10) a first distance value, based on afirst time at which a first message is transmitted to an externalelectronic device through the UWB antenna, a second time at which asecond message is received from the external electronic device throughat least one of the directional antennas of the UWB antenna, and timeinformation received from the external electronic device through the UWBantenna, calculating (e.g., the operation 1030 in FIG. 10) a seconddistance value, based on the first time, a third time at which thesecond message is received from the external electronic device throughthe at least one omnidirectional antenna of the UWB antenna, and thetime information, and based on a distance difference between the firstdistance value and the second distance value, determining (e.g., theoperation 1040 in FIG. 10) whether the external electronic device existswithin a FoV indicating a specified angular range with respect to adirection to which one surface of the electronic device, on which thedirectional antennas are disposed, faces.

In some embodiments, determining whether the external electronic deviceexists within the FoV may include, when the distance difference is lessthan or equal to a specified distance reference value, determining thatthe external electronic device exists within the FoV, and when thedistance difference exceeds the distance reference value, determiningthat the external electronic device exists outside the FoV.

Embodiments of the disclosure and the accompanying drawings are onlyexamples presented in order to easily describe the disclosure andfacilitate comprehension of the disclosure, but are not intended tolimit the scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the scope of thedisclosure should be construed as including all changes or modificationsderived from the technical contents of the disclosure in addition to theembodiments disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: a displaydisposed on a front surface of the electronic device; an ultra-wide band(UWB) antenna including directional antennas disposed on a rear surfaceopposite to the front surface and forming a radiation pattern in adirection to which the rear surface faces, and at least oneomnidirectional antenna forming an omnidirectional radiation patterncompared to the directional antennas; a processor; a communicationcircuit configured to convert a message to be transmitted to an externalelectronic device received from the processor into a radio frequency(RF) signal of a frequency band designated to be used for UWBcommunication, and output the RF signal to the UWB antenna, andconfigured to convert an RF signal received from the external electronicdevice through the UWB antenna into a message, and output the message tothe processor; and a memory operatively connected to the processor,wherein the memory stores instructions that cause, when executed, theprocessor to: calculate a first distance value, based on a first time atwhich a first message is received from the external electronic devicethrough the UWB antenna, a second time at which a second message istransmitted to the external electronic device through the UWB antenna, athird time at which a third message is received from the externalelectronic device through at least one of the directional antennas ofthe UWB antenna, and time information received from the externalelectronic device through the UWB antenna, calculate a second distancevalue, based on the first time, the second time, a fourth time at whichthe third message is received from the external electronic devicethrough the at least one omnidirectional antenna of the UWB antenna, andthe time information, and based on a distance difference between thefirst distance value and the second distance value, determine whetherthe external electronic device exists within a field of view (FoV)indicating a specified angular range with respect to the direction towhich the rear surface faces.
 2. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein the instructions cause the processor to: receive the thirdmessage through the at least one omnidirectional antenna disposed on aside surface surrounding a space between the front surface and the rearsurface.
 3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructionscause the processor to: when the distance difference is less than orequal to a specified distance reference value, determine that theexternal electronic device exists within the FoV, when the distancedifference exceeds the distance reference value, determine that theexternal electronic device exists outside the FoV.
 4. The electronicdevice of claim 3, wherein the instructions cause the processor to: whenthe external electronic device is determined to exist within the FoV,provide information about a position of the external electronic devicethrough the display.
 5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein theinstructions cause the processor to: acquire the time information fromthe third message.
 6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein theinstructions cause the processor to: acquire the time information from afourth message received from the external electronic device after thethird message.
 7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the timeinformation includes: information indicating a time at which theexternal electronic device transmits the first message, informationindicating a time at which the external electronic device receives thesecond message, and information indicating a time at which the externalelectronic device transmits the third message.
 8. The electronic deviceof claim 1, wherein the time information includes: informationindicating a round trip time that is a difference between a time atwhich the external electronic device transmits the first message and atime at which the external electronic device receives the secondmessage, and information indicating a reply time that is a differencebetween the time at which the external electronic device receives thesecond message and a time at which the external electronic devicetransmits the third message.
 9. An electronic device comprising: adisplay disposed on a front surface of the electronic device; anultra-wide band (UWB) antenna including directional antennas disposed ona rear surface opposite to the front surface and forming a radiationpattern in a direction to which the rear surface faces, and at least oneomnidirectional antenna forming an omnidirectional radiation patterncompared to the directional antennas; a processor; a communicationcircuit configured to convert a message to be transmitted to an externalelectronic device received from the processor into a radio frequency(RF) signal of a frequency band designated to be used for UWBcommunication, and output the RF signal to the UWB antenna, andconfigured to convert an RF signal received from the external electronicdevice through the UWB antenna into a message, and output the message tothe processor; and a memory operatively connected to the processor,wherein the memory stores instructions that cause, when executed, theprocessor to: calculate a first distance value, based on a first time atwhich a first message is transmitted to the external electronic devicethrough the UWB antenna, a second time at which a second message isreceived from the external electronic device through at least one of thedirectional antennas of the UWB antenna, and time information receivedfrom the external electronic device through the UWB antenna, calculate asecond distance value, based on the first time, a third time at whichthe second message is received from the external electronic devicethrough the at least one omnidirectional antenna of the UWB antenna, andthe time information, and based on a distance difference between thefirst distance value and the second distance value, determine whetherthe external electronic device exists within a field of view (FoV)indicating a specified angular range with respect to the direction towhich the rear surface faces.
 10. The electronic device of claim 9,wherein the instructions cause the processor to: receive the secondmessage through the at least one omnidirectional antenna disposed on aside surface surrounding a space between the front surface and the rearsurface.
 11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the instructionscause the processor to: when the distance difference is less than orequal to a specified distance reference value, determine that theexternal electronic device exists within the FoV, and when the distancedifference exceeds the distance reference value, determine that theexternal electronic device exists outside the FoV.
 12. The electronicdevice of claim 11, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:when the external electronic device is determined to exist within theFoV, provide information about a position of the external electronicdevice through the display.
 13. The electronic device of claim 9,wherein the instructions cause the processor to: acquire the timeinformation from the second message.
 14. The electronic device of claim9, wherein the instructions cause the processor to: acquire the timeinformation from a third message received from the external electronicdevice after the second message.
 15. The electronic device of claim 9,wherein the time information includes: information indicating a time atwhich the external electronic device receives the first message, andinformation indicating a time at which the external electronic devicetransmits the second message.
 16. The electronic device of claim 9,wherein the time information includes: information indicating a replytime that is a difference between a time at which the externalelectronic device receives the first message and a time at which theexternal electronic device transmits the second message.
 17. A methodfor operating an electronic device comprising an ultra-wide band (UWB)antenna including directional antennas and at least one omnidirectionalantenna forming an omnidirectional radiation pattern compared to thedirectional antennas, the method comprising: calculating a firstdistance value, based on a first time at which a first message isreceived from an external electronic device through the UWB antenna, asecond time at which a second message is transmitted to the externalelectronic device through the UWB antenna, a third time at which a thirdmessage is received from the external electronic device through at leastone of the directional antennas of the UWB antenna, and time informationreceived from the external electronic device through the UWB antenna;calculating a second distance value, based on the first time, the secondtime, a fourth time at which the third message is received from theexternal electronic device through the at least one omnidirectionalantenna of the UWB antenna, and the time information; and based on adistance difference between the first distance value and the seconddistance value, determining whether the external electronic deviceexists within a field of view (FoV) indicating a specified angular rangewith respect to a direction to which one surface of the electronicdevice, on which the directional antennas are disposed, faces.
 18. Themethod of claim 17, wherein determining whether the external electronicdevice exists within the FoV includes: when the distance difference isless than or equal to a specified distance reference value, determiningthat the external electronic device exists within the FoV, and when thedistance difference exceeds the distance reference value, determiningthat the external electronic device exists outside the FoV.
 19. A methodfor operating an electronic device comprising an ultra-wide band (UWB)antenna including directional antennas and at least one omnidirectionalantenna forming an omnidirectional radiation pattern compared to thedirectional antennas, the method comprising: calculating a firstdistance value, based on a first time at which a first message istransmitted to an external electronic device through the UWB antenna, asecond time at which a second message is received from the externalelectronic device through at least one of the directional antennas ofthe UWB antenna, and time information received from the externalelectronic device through the UWB antenna; calculating a second distancevalue, based on the first time, a third time at which the second messageis received from the external electronic device through the at least oneomnidirectional antenna of the UWB antenna, and the time information;and based on a distance difference between the first distance value andthe second distance value, determining whether the external electronicdevice exists within a field of view (FoV) indicating a specifiedangular range with respect to a direction to which one surface of theelectronic device, on which the directional antennas are disposed,faces.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining whether theexternal electronic device exists within the FoV includes: when thedistance difference is less than or equal to a specified distancereference value, determining that the external electronic device existswithin the FoV, and when the distance difference exceeds the distancereference value, determining that the external electronic device existsoutside the FoV.